Sociology chap. 5 groups & organizations

2 or more people who identify with and interact with one another

a small social group whose members share personal and lasting relationships

a large and impersonal social group whose members pursue a specific goal or activity

group leadership that focuses on the completion of tasks

group leadership that focuses on the group's well-being

the tendency of group members to conform, resulting in a narrow view of some issue

a social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations and decisions

a social group toward which a member feels respect and loyalty

a social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition

a social group with 2 members

a social group with 3 members

a web of weak social ties

a large secondary group organized to achieve its goals efficiently

values and beliefs passed from generation to generation

a way of thinking that emphasizes deliberate, matter-of-fact calculation of the most efficient way to accomplish a particular task

Weber's term for the historical change from tradition to rationality as the main type of human thought

organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks efficiently

factors outside an organization that affect its operation

focus on rules and regulations to the point of undermining an organization's goals

the tendency of bureaucratic organizations to perpetuate themselves

the rule of the many by the few

the application of scientific principles to the operation of a business or other large organization

people with a status in common (ex. women, Asian, etc...)

a loosely formed collection of people in one place (ex. people at a concert)

contains people with shared experiences, loyalties, and interests

• personal orientation
• usually long-term
• broad; usually involving many activities
• ends in themselves
• families or circle of friends

• goal orientation
• often short-term but it depends
• narrow; usually involving a few activities
• means to an end
• co-workers, political organizations

• recruited students for "a study of visual perception"
• placing 6-8 students around a table and his "secret accomplishes" began answering incorrectly to pressure the remaining person to conform to the group
• found that one-third of all subjects chose to conform by answering incorrectly

• recruits males and told them that they would be taking part in "a study of how punishment affects learning"
• the electric chair experiment
• almost two-third went all the way to 450 volts
• found that people are likely to follow the directions not only of legitimate authority figures but also of groups of ordinary individuals, even if doing so means harming others

• efficiency
• predictability
• uniformity
• control

• utilitarian organization - one that pays people for their efforts (ex. businesses or gov. agencies)
• normative organization - have goals people consider worthwhile (ex. PTA)
• coercive organizations - organizations people are forced to join (ex. prison and mental hospitals)

• instrumental leadership
• expressive leadership

• authoritarian leadership
• democratic leadership
• laissez-faire leadership